Eric Gomez: Shawn Porter-Kell Brook will happen

A deal is in place for IBF welterweight titleholder Shawn Porter to face unbeaten Kell Brook of England "within the next couple of months," Golden Boy Vice President and matchmaker Eric Gomez informed RingTV.com on Monday.

Porter (24-0-1, 15 knockouts) and Brook (32-0, 22 KOs) learned in April that the IBF had ordered their promoters, Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom Sport, to reach an agreement for the boxers to face each other in what will be Porter's second defense, IBF President Daryl Peoples informed RingTV.com.

It had appeared that Porter and Brook were headed for an Aug. 9 date at Barclays Center in Brooklyn until Sunday, when Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya informed RingTV.com that RING junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia, IBF 140-pound beltholder Lamont Peterson and middleweight contender Danny Jacobs would, instead, be facing opponents to be determined on that date and at that venue.

"There's a deal in place, and we're just fine-tuning some things, but the fight is going to happen," Gomez told RingTV.com. "The fight is going to take place within the next couple of months and we're just finalizing details with Showtime and everything, but the fight will happen."

Peoples said that Porter and Golden Boy were granted an exception to an April 19 clash with ex-titleholder Paulie Malignaggi, whom Porter dropped twice in the final round of a fourth-round knockout at The D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C.

The 27-year-old Brook has won four straight by knockout and was last in the ring for last month's eighth-round stoppage of Alvaro Robles that had followed one in October in the fourth round over ex-beltholder Vyacheslav Senchenko, whom Brook floored twice.

Prior to Malignaggi, Porter was coming off a unanimous-decision win that earned the belt from Devon Alexander, during which he dictated a physical fight that left both fighters bleeding from cuts around their eyes in December.

A former junior middleweight managed and trained by his father, Kenny, Porter’s victory over Alexander was preceded by last September’s unanimous decision over ex-beltholder Diaz, with whom Porter had battled to a draw in December 2012.